Right On Time
by Jewel1001
Summary: Chazz and his pregnant girlfriend are on their way to a reunion with their friends from Duel Academy, but they break down in the middle of nowhere. Things just get better when Ryleigh starts to feel contractions. ChazzxOC. Requested.
1. Prologue

Hazeru - This is like my other Spiritshipping story Bad Timing, except this is not MPreg.

Hera - This is a request for Faith Princeton. Sorry it took so long.

Hazeru - And hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Prologue

"No matter what, I got your back. I'll take a bullet for you if it comes to that. I swear to God that in the bitter end, we're gonna be the last ones standing."

These words sang quietly, in time to the music playing on the car stereo, in the gentle voice of Ryleigh Justice Epperson.

While she harmonised with the voice of the singer, she ran her hands subconsciously over her swollen stomach - gently, as if stroking the life within to soothe it. It was true that the baby was moving around a lot today; maybe just a sign that the birth was near. It was due in two weeks, after all.

Her white jeans barely did up now, and she had to wear them lower on her hips than usual, but they still fit - just. She might have to admit to altering the waistband of the jeans so that they would still fit around her although she was carrying the baby quite low down. Her usual black T-shirt had also been altered - again, just letting out the seams so that it would fit around her stomach. That was all that needed to be changed. And although her feet were slightly swollen due to the added weight, her trademark brown boots were still comfortable enough.

Ryleigh looked out the window into the darkness of the night, sighing softly in disappointment that she couldn't see very much of the countryside in the dark.

Ryleigh had always loved nature. Before it had gotten so dark - it being midnight now - she had been enjoying the rolling hills, the flowing streams, the fluffy clouds … just enjoying the country scenery that she rarely got to see.

Sighing gently, Ryleigh felt a hand on her thigh, and she glanced over at the silhouette of her lover, still just about visible in the dark because of the lights inside the car.

"You okay?" he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she smiled, purposely lacing her voice with love. She could never show her boyfriend and lover just how much she loved him, because … well, because words didn't describe how much she loved Chazz Princeton.

Many people would say he was opinionated, arrogant, ignorant, obnoxious and … other unflattering names.

But Ryleigh knew better. She saw that side of Chazz, of course, but she saw another side of him that no-one else did. She saw the softer, loving side of him - perhaps she was the only one to have ever truly seen him that way in the full light.

Underneath his many layers of faults and strong opinions and cheekiness, there was a person who truly cared. He showed it more often than he thought, and sometimes people who were very friendly or observing - like Jaden Yuki - could see it. But none could see him quite like Ryleigh.

She had been with Chazz for well over three years now. Or was it four? She didn't really remember. Time with Chazz just flew by. It had to be closer to four now, though, since she was fully nine months along with her pregnancy.

At first she'd thought Chazz would reject the idea of being a father and dump her. He had the money to deal with child support, it would be no problem for him. But when she had finally - at four months along - gathered the courage to tell him about her pregnancy, Chazz had accepted it. He had supported her the whole time. He had been there for her.

And now the two were on their way to a reunion.

Both Chazz and Ryleigh had attended Duel Academy along with Jaden Yuki and Jesse Andersen and all their friends. They had been out of the school for about four years now, and they'd decided that it was about time they had a proper reunion. Internet chat and phone calls were fine, but it was time for a proper meeting. Jaden had decided that since it was also his and Jesse's anniversary, he would go all out and hire a huge hall and throw a huge party. He didn't have to pay for it all, since everyone sent sums of money to pitch in. There was the whole gang, so plenty of people and plenty of money.

Chazz had kept in touch with some of the old Duel Academy gang, but not all of them. He still saw Jaden and Jesse, Alexis, Aster, even Hasselberry. But he hadn't seen some of them - like Syrus or Blair - since their school years. Internet chat wasn't the same - it was time to show off about his success.

Not to mention, they could tell all their friends about their happy news - they were going to be parents in two weeks.

To sum it up, they were going to the reunion, but it was a long way away, and Chazz liked to drive. A plane or helicopter was fine, but he liked to drive and Ryleigh liked to see the country, so they had opted to drive the full way.

It just meant an overnight journey. Chazz had offered to drive the full way, so that Ryleigh could relax and go to sleep when she got tired. He could be a gentleman when he wanted. Not to mention that his lover - whom he truly cared for - was carrying _his _child. And his child was going to have the best, dammit!

"You'll be able to see the hills when it gets light" Chazz murmured. "Dawn's about five around here."

"I'll have fallen asleep by then" Ryleigh whispered, smiling in the darkness.

"I'll wake you up."

Although it wasn't visible, Ryleigh could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Deal" she muttered.

"You'd best go to sleep, then" Chazz said hastily. "You need your rest. And I need some peace and quiet to drive."

Ryleigh rolled her eyes at her lover and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek - difficult with her stomach as swollen as it was. Her violet eyes closed as she let her lips fall on his pale skin - a contrast to her darker skin - and whisper against his cheek.

"Night" she whispered.

Chazz grunted in response and fixed his eyes on the road until he noticed that Ryleigh was settled comfortably - as was possible in the car - against the car door.

He smiled at his girlfriend, reaching out to run his fingers through the soft locks of mahogany hair.

Their drive continued for ten minutes, nothing eventful happening. Chazz concentrated on the rough country road. Ryleigh ran her hands over her stomach in a vain attempt to soothe the child inside her - it was moving around like crazy and it was beginning to hurt a bit. She couldn't get to sleep with the baby moving around like this.

But she didn't voice her complaint, even though she hadn't ever been good with pain. She didn't want to break the peaceful silence that had come over them.

Luckily for her, something else broke it.

There was a sudden bang and a snap, and then the car suddenly halted. Chazz and Ryleigh were flung forward a little, but their seatbelts prevented any damage, though Chazz rubbed his neck a little.

"Okay?" he asked Ryleigh, concern in his voice.

"Mhm" she muttered, flicking on the light that was on the ceiling of the car. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know."

"Well, get out and look."

"Don't push The Chazz around" Chazz muttered, but he opened the driver's door and stepped out, going to look in the bonnet.

Ryleigh, meanwhile, ran her hands over her stomach.

"It's okay, baby. We're okay" she whispered to her stomach, talking to the baby inside. "Calm down in there, it's all good."

But the kid just moved around even more - though not in the way she was used to feeling it move. This was different. This was somehow …

…Wet?

There was a tear, yet it wasn't really a tear. All that Ryleigh knew was that there was suddenly water running down her legs and onto the seat of the car. More trouble, right on time.

"What the hell?" she muttered.

And then a pain shot up her body.

Hazeru - Can you guess what's happened? xD

Hera - Hope it's okay. Please R&R. No flames.


	2. Chapter 1

Hazeru - Sorry for the wait, here's the next chapter.

Hera - It's a bit short, but oh well. It serves its' purpose.

Hazeru - Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 1

"We're in trouble, Ryleigh" Chazz muttered, climbing back into the car and hitting his head off the steering wheel in despair. "Timing belt's gone, I think. Set off by running over something that's burst the back tyre. We're not going anywhere."

The black haired boy put his girlfriend's silence down to her annoyance at their breakdown. He never thought that Ryleigh's lips were sealed to prevent the fatal words that could flow once those lips parted.

Sighing at the lack of reaction from the woman he loved so much, Chazz pulled out his expensive mobile phone - a brand new model worth a small fortune, sleek and shiny black - and his eyes widened as he realised that the situation could still get worse.

He fiddled around with the buttons. He turned the phone off and back on again. Nothing.

No signal.

"Ryleigh, lend me your phone. Mine's got no signal."

Wordlessly, the violet eyed girl pulled her phone, somewhat shakily, from her jeans pocket and thrust it into Chazz's waiting hands. She didn't dare open her mouth - she didn't want to tell him what she had realised was happening.

She was annoyed with the kid already - and he or she wasn't even born yet!

Of all the times to decide that it was time to come out, the child had to pick right now. Ryleigh was fully aware that the water she had felt running down her legs a short while earlier meant that her water had broke. It was time for the baby to be born.

And she wasn't ready.

When Ryleigh had pictured the birth of this child, she had envisioned a hospital room, white and pristine, and a soft bed with a fluffed pillow. She'd pictured doctors and nurses and a midwife, her husband holding her hand and shouting at the midwife while she zoned out.

Ryleigh had had several different premonitions about her pregnancy, and it seemed none of them had come to pass.

She had certainly never pictured giving birth in a car, in the middle of nowhere.

She knew that the efforts of her lover were futile. Her phone had no signal and there was nowhere within walking distance at the best of times, let alone when she was suffering contractions.

They really were stuck.

/

Chazz looked over at Ryleigh with worry. He had just informed her that they'd have to get out and go for a long, long walk, to try and find somewhere that would help - to walk until they at least had a signal on their phones. He'd already tried walking up and down the road with their mobiles, and had got nothing that resembled a signal. They'd have to get moving.

But Ryleigh wasn't moving. The girl's face was hidden by the dark tendrils of her hair as she leaned over, whispering something under her breath, something Chazz couldn't make out.

"Ryleigh, stop it. We've got to get moving, and I'm not leaving you alone here!"

Chazz was beginning to get frustrated.

Ryleigh, on the other hand, was beginning to get plain desperate.

Pain had never agreed with her, on any level. She was not the 'suffer in silence' type of person, the type who could withstand a lot.

She was the girl who cried when a paper-cut stung, who tripped over her own two feet and clenched her eyes shut to halt the tears.

The early contractions were proving to be more painful than she had ever imagined they could be.

But as another one at last left her body, Ryleigh looked up at Chazz. The light was on in the front of the car, enabling them to see at least the dashboard and each other.

"I can't go anywhere" she whispered.

"Ryleigh …"

"Chazz" she hissed, pain lacing her tone though she tried to force it away. "Chazz, I _can't_. It's time."

"Yeah, I know" Chazz hissed back. "Time to _move_!"

"_No_! I mean it's _time_."

"Time for what?" the raven haired boy burst out, getting more and more irritated by the second.

"Chazz, you idiot" Ryleigh whispered, her voice loving despite the situation. "The baby's coming. It's time!"

Chazz Princeton - who would argue until the end that he was the strongest of the strong - was stunned. His girlfriend ... in labour ... baby coming ... _now_?

He could say or do nothing. Instead, he did what always brought shame to his face on awakening.

He fainted.

Hazeru - Nice timing, Chazz!

Hera - R&R please


	3. Chapter 2

Hazeru - Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait, I'm updating at last.

Hera - Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 2

Chazz was vaguely aware of the darkness of his surroundings, though not to the point that it intimidated him - not like the time he'd woken up in the cave after he and his girlfriend had finally decided to visit the Belgian caves his brother had once spoke of, after the man dressed as a bear had grabbed his shoulder.

No, it was a soothing darkness, broken only by the small blinking lights of a … dashboard? Oh, so he was in a car. His own car.

Chazz lifted his head from where it was situated uncomfortably against the steering wheel, angling his neck strangely to stretch the stiff muscles, groaning slightly at the discomfort of the action. Somewhat still subconscious, Chazz wondered why he was asleep in a car with his head on the steering wheel. It was dark outside, narrowing the time of day down to night.

And beside him, he could hear the laboured panting of the person who meant the most to him. He'd know Ryleigh's voice anywhere, be it speaking or panting or anything else.

And with those heavy pants, Chazz's last thoughts before he'd passed out flooded his memory and he was almost overwhelmed by the knowledge that he now knew.

His girlfriend was in labour!

"Are you okay?" he asked, somewhat harshly.

Ryleigh turned and glared at him for a moment, saying nothing, and then after a few moments she let out the breath she had been holding and her eyes softened.

"You passed out" she stated bluntly. "And no, I'm not okay. I'm being torn apart."

Chazz gulped; Ryleigh never did handle pain all that well.

He desperately - yes, he was desperate, he admitted it - pulled out his phone and tried once again to get a signal. Still no luck, those little bars were gone. His eyes glanced at the time and he noticed that, if memory served - and it did - then he had been unconscious for only five to ten minutes. At least he hadn't left his girlfriend alone throughout the whole birth; that would've been plain humiliating to him and agonising to her.

Well, The Chazz didn't want anyone to be able to say he was a bad lover; he was damn well going to do his best here, and who could do better?

Oh, right: a qualified doctor!

Still, Chazz put down the backseat of the car after a valiant struggle against the stubborn clips, and then he gently manoeuvred Ryleigh into the back of the car, lying her back against the front seat after he'd tilted it forward so that she would be comfortable.

Ryleigh looked up at him and a soft smile graced her lips, her pretty features enhanced by the smile that she saved only for her boyfriend. Ryleigh had a positive outlook on life and usually smiled, but not this kind of smile; this was special.

"It's finally happening, huh?" she muttered, trying to smile as if she wasn't afraid even thought her heart was beating furiously inside her chest.

Chazz just nodded, slightly bewildered, and hoped that Ryleigh would be able to see him do so in the dark of the car. It wasn't going to be getting light for several hours yet; he hoped with a passion that the delivery of their first child was going to run smoothly. He had no idea what to expect or what to do - he'd imagined that there would be a midwife and a doctor to guide Ryleigh through all that when the time came. He'd imagined himself doing nothing more than sitting there with her, watching and waiting.

Why did the kid have to be coming now!

/

Ryleigh closed her eyes and whimpered as a contraction, more forceful than the previous few, took over her frame and shook her. She clenched her hand around her boyfriend's; she swore that she heard him whimper himself.

Next to her, Ryleigh could feel the spirit of her own favourite Duel Monster, Petal Guardian Myoko, smiling at her.

Ryleigh was very glad to have her own spirit partner at her side along with her boyfriend, but she was heartily glad that her boyfriend's partners - the Ojama trio - did not make an appearance. She was usually okay with them - funny little things that they were - but she couldn't deal with their antics while she was in pain.

Already she had begun to moan a little with the pain, and as far as she could tell in the dark, she wasn't dilated enough to actually give birth to the baby just yet.

She was surprised by the amount of sheer pain that flowed through her.

Of course, she had expected pain. She'd known that agony was just an unpleasant part of bringing a child into the world. She'd thought that she was ready …

But not here. Not in a car, of all places, and not with no help but her clueless boyfriend. If something went wrong - and her mother had had to get a emergency c-section with Ryleigh herself - then there would be no help to be had. Something bad might happen to her. Or worse, something bad might happen to the baby.

/

Time was passing slowly, much too slowly, although Ryleigh's labour was progressing very quickly for a first birth.

She was holding both Chazz's hands in her own, whimpering with the pain and occasionally letting out strangled moans. An hour - wait, two hours? - had passed since they had broken down. In some respects it didn't seem to be as long as that.

On the other hand, Ryleigh felt that she had been in labour for an endless agonising time, and time meant little to her.

The pain was enough for Ryleigh to begin to wish that Chazz would suddenly be swallowed into a hole and be crushed to death, slowly and painfully. And that was completely out of character for Ryleigh, who cared very much for Chazz and loved him wholly. But it wasn't her heart or even her mind speaking for her; it was the pain that was slowly consuming her …

Hazeru - Things are getting worse and there's still no way of getting help.

Hera - No flames, but please R&R :)


	4. Chapter 3

Hazeru - SO SO SO SO SO sorry for the long wait D:

Hera - We're finally back in business, and updating our GX fics.

Hazeru - Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 3

"Much as I love you, Chazz, if you ever try to touch me again after this I will personally castrate you!"

The words left the labouring girl's lips as a hiss, causing her boyfriend to gulp and wordlessly rub her shoulders again in an attempt to soothe her. Now, he would never let it be said – death to the person who so much dared as to say it – that he did not love his girlfriend; he loved Ryleigh with all of his heart and knew that he would always feel like that. But all the while she was whimpering and moaning in pain, she was occasionally throwing threats at him, and he was in no way used to her doing that.

Chazz wished now that, instead of becoming a pro duellist, he had taken a medical degree; it would have come in handy right about now. Of course, he knew that he had never had any interest whatsoever in becoming a doctor – let alone a midwife – and duelling had been his ambition; even if he had foreseen this, he still would have taken his career in the pro leagues.

And his career was going so well – he won many of his duels, losing only to the pros at the absolute top of the league.

But still, it was a little frustrating to know that duelling was his speciality, and it could do no good whatsoever in this kind of nasty situation.

Not to mention, he didn't want his first child to be born in the back-seat of a car, no matter how flashy and expensive. It was wholly unsafe and, to a successful Princeton, rather degrading. He had a whole team of specialty doctors, should he choose to call on them, in the Princeton group; if they were at a hospital – any hospital – then he knew that Ryleigh could have the best care available.

But no. Instead, here they were, in the back of a car with absolutely no help. Ryleigh's faithful spirit partner, Petal Guardian Myoko, was trying its best to guide her duellist through the pains of labour, but there was nothing, save for comfort, that the spirit could do. And although Chazz was helping out by checking to see how dilated she was and giving her sips of water from a bottle they'd luckily had in the car, his help was not adequate; only a professional doctor would have been.

And by this point, Ryleigh was experiencing more pain than she had imagined was possible – the pains of childbirth were not exaggerated, they were damn well understated! This was sheer torture!

Ryleigh knew that she had never been able to handle pain very well, but this ... this was crossing the line and going into something that could only be labelled as unbearable.

/

A frustrated groan was drawn from Ryleigh's throat as Chazz felt about with his fingers – this was not pleasurable, however, but rather agonising – and told her that, from his best estimate, she was around six centimetres. This was not far enough to physically deliver the baby yet, and that meant one thing and one thing only: more pain.

She felt his hand close around her own once again and, while she had a momentary break from the agony, she closed her fingers around his. Chazz was at least still awake; she had half expected him to faint again. At least he hadn't abandoned her.

Still, his help wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind when she'd thought about the delivery of their precious baby.

As another contraction hit – fierce, burning, pulling pain – Ryleigh released another loud whimper, her eyes clenched shut and her grip on her boyfriend's hand tightening to the point of pain. For once, though, she didn't really care that Chazz was in pain; she could kill him for doing this to her in the first place!

No. No, she couldn't; logically, she loved him far too much.

At this present moment in time, however, she was too far gone with the pain to notice. She wanted an epidural, morphine, anything that would relieve pain! This whole natural birth process was horrific.

Not to mention that, aside from advice given to her by her doctors earlier in her pregnancy, and what she'd read in books, Ryleigh had little idea of what was normal for a birth and what wasn't; the contractions she was feeling seemed altogether standard for a first birth, but at the same time, she couldn't say specifically because she had never had any experience with this type of thing.

Out of the good old gang at Duel Academy, she was the first female to be having a baby. Some of the guys had girlfriends or wives who produced their children, but neither Alexis nor Blair had gone through a pregnancy or birth yet.

Ryleigh was the first of the old gang, and she was less than amused by this.

/

Ryleigh's hand tightened around her boyfriend's, and she would later be ashamed by the spark of pride she felt at knowing that she'd caused him a little pain whilst she was going through this agony. Afterwards, she'd apologise for this and thoroughly make it up to him – for now, she didn't much care.

The knock in her stomach was becoming undone but somehow it still managed to feel like it was tightening unbearably. She couldn't stop the high pitched stream of pained whimpers that escaped from her lips, which by now were swollen from being bitten whilst she went through contractions.

Beside her, Chazz was more or less freaking out. He did all that was expected of him – he checked as best he could to see how far along she was; he stroked her hair; he whispered words of comfort and encouragement; he held her hand. But still, it wasn't enough, and The Chazz did not like it one bit when he realised that he wasn't good enough.

Logically, this had been unforeseen and entirely coincidental. But still, he wanted to play the hero now; he wanted to be Ryleigh's superhero, and it was an enormous dent to his nurtured ego that he couldn't do so.

Instinctively, Chazz tightened his hold on his girlfriend's hand, hoping like hell that she couldn't feel him shaking.

Little did he know, that Ryleigh did not notice in the slightest, because it was at this moment that she felt an entirely new king of pain...

Hazeru - Again, sorry for the long wait.

Hera - Please R&R


	5. Chapter 4

Hazeru - Sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this to be updated; I am a terrible author :(

Hera - Ignore her. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 4

The first thing that the midwives had told her, back in the earlier stages of her pregnancy, had been that the contractions themselves would not be as painful as the physical process of pushing the child from within her own body out into the world. Understandably, Ryleigh was terrified; knowing now, as she did, that the time had come. There would be no help for her or the baby if something went wrong, and now it was too late to hope that someone might come across them on their way to work - it was only just beginning to get light out here in the countryside, and the road was quiet enough that early morning traffic would not really exist.

It was really just going to be her and Chazz, alone without professional help.

She told her lover that it was time, that she could feel it, and then clamped down on his hand when she felt him beginning to sway - it stopped him from passing out again, even if he did have to literally pry his fingers away from her grip.

Desperate, Chazz flipped out his expensive mobile phone once again and prayed to whatever deity might exist, whichever one might listen, that there was a signal. Then he tried using Ryleigh's; neither one gave him any signal, there was none to be found in such a remote place.

His girlfriend's agonised scream caught him off guard and he jumped, momentarily letting go of her before pulling her writhing body against him hopelessly. He had no idea what to do, no idea what was supposed to be happening, but he did know this: he was going to have to deliver his own child into the world. There was no doctor, no midwife and Ryleigh would need some help - it was all down to him now.

This was not what he pictured. This was not what he wanted. That didn't mean that it wasn't going to happen.

_Damn it!_

"Ryleigh, I'm gonna ... I'm going to help you."

"Well, hurry up, then!" she shrieked, unable to hold back.

"Look, I know this isn't what we planned but..."

"I don't care, Chazz! I don't care! This baby's ready, he wants out right _now_!"

Chazz almost smirked; when had Ryleigh decided that the baby was a boy? They had wanted to be surprised...

Her next whimper brought him back to reality and suddenly the sex of the baby was unimportant; what mattered was that he or she was born safely to a mother who was going to be healthy following the birth.

"Okay, here we go."

Chazz knelt between her legs, feeling around with his fingers - how many nights had he done this to give her pleasure? It was so different now, such thoughts couldn't even reach his mind - and determining that she was definitely ready to give birth, as far as he could tell.

"Ready, love?"

She glared at him in answer - she had been ready for several hours, it was getting light now. Her patience had worn thin and finally disappeared, her tolerance for pain long since gone. It was time.

Chazz told her to push but she ignored him, knowing that he was merely copying what he had seen on television and in movies. He was trying to help but she could feel that the time to push wasn't there yet - it wasn't known knowledge that told her so, it was her own body. She could feel when it was time to-

Now. With the next contraction, she pushed, screaming and startling her boyfriend simultaneously.

Chazz lost the little colour that was in his cheeks; had it been lighter, one would have been able to see it visibly drain from his face. His breathing became terribly irregular, almost matching the pained panting of his girlfriend. His dizzy state of mind told him that he was about to faint again, but he suppressed the urge to collapse - it was manageable only by sheer force of will to not abandon Ryleigh when she needed him most. Contrary to popular belief, he had genuine morals and he truly loved her.

Chazz did not pass out; it was a valiant effort, anyone had to admit. Ryleigh was in trouble if he passed out and he knew it. That's why it could not happen.

And so it was with a great effort from him, and a far greater effort from Ryleigh, that a rythem of whimpering, moaning and pushing was set into place.

The midwife Ryleigh had consulted was, she now realised, quite wrong. She had thought that pushing would feel terrible, that it would increase the pain, that it would tear her apart worse than the brutal contractions had. Now she realised that she had been very, very wrong to fear this - pushing felt good. Well, it was still painful as hell and what she considered complete agony, but it felt _natural _and that was good.

She was still in a lot of pain but she now understood the power of controlled breathing and rough pushing - it was agony, it was terrible, but now she was in control of the pain. This natural feeling gave her new strength.

With said new strength, Ryleigh was able to continue. And almost an hour later, when the sun rose above the nearest trees, a tiny infant was brought into the world.

/

Ryleigh fell backwards against the backseat of the car, flushed and panting and still whimpering. There was a moment of relative quiet before the high pitched wail shook Chazz out of his momentary frozen state - he hadn't even realised that he had been frozen until the cry startled him.

He looked down to the bloodied, glistening child that lay between Ryleigh's legs, the head cupped gently in his now wet hands. He shook his head and then pulled the squalling thing towards him, resting it on his knees. Pulling the infant into his arms had been his original intention before he had realised that he had yet to cut the umbilical cord. Silently cursing himself, he balanced the screaming child on his lap as he reached for their emergency first aid kid - it had been found a couple of hours previously, under the passenger seat - in order to find a pair of scissors.

It was only when Ryleigh's body convulsed that he realised there was something called 'the afterbirth' which had still to be delivered, and the gungy, bloody mess that was expelled from Ryleigh's body was so repulsive that he almost vomited. The child on his lap was the only thing that prevented him from doing so.

Now that the labour was over, Ryleigh struggled to lift her head and look at the child.

"Is he okay?" she wept, tears pouring town her cheeks as she lifted her weak arms.

Chazz wordlessly passed the baby over to his girlfriend, who cradled the newborn in her arms weakly. She nuzzled the hot, wet head of the child she had just given birth to tenderly, muttering her greetings to the child she was weakly holding to her chest in a lopsided cradle.

Chazz sighed, reluctant, and whipped off his trademark coat - this particular coat would never be worn again after this. He reached over his girlfriend's limp body to settle the garment over the baby, smiling slightly as Ryleigh automatically shifted the child so that they were more tightly swaddled by the coat. Then he settled himself next to her, one pale finger tracing the warm scalp of the child that he was only now realising was here and real and _his_.

He chuckled softly as he realised that he hadn't checked something fundamental. "So, is it a boy or a girl?"

* * *

><p>Hazeru - Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter: find out the sex of the baby. Guesses?<p>

Hera - Please R&R.


	6. Chapter 5

Hazeru - Here's the next chapter.

Hera - Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 5

The tiny being was small and squirmy. Just an hour after the birth, Ryleigh was resting in an uneasy slumber while Chazz tended to the child; it was light enough now that walking to find help would not be impractical but he was unwilling to leave without telling Ryleigh were he was going.

The child, who had slept soundly for the best part of an hour, was now awake and making strange, foreign noises that were nothing more than squeaks and splutters. He wondered if that was normal - his experience with babies was, quite frankly, non-existant. He had held a baby before, sure, when one of his friends - from the pro league or from Duel Academy - had presented him with their new child, but this was different. This was his own child and a newborn.

The tiny head lolled to one side and he used his free hand to cup it gently, determined to master this. Cradling a child, he was quickly discovering, was rather different to holding a toddler to your hip, as he had done with his nephew or Jim Cook's daughter. The child relied entirely on him for support, something he was not used to - he was self-reliant himself and Ryleigh was far from helpless. There was something terrifying about being in charge of such a tiny, helpless little being.

Chazz sighed as he shifted his arms to hold the baby in a more comfortable position, one arm supporting the delicate bundle which was now properly swaddled in his jacket and the other using his fingers to stroke the soft skin of her cheek.

A girl. What the hell was he supposed to do with a girl!?

He could see himself easily throwing a ball to a young boy in the back garden; guiding a young boy to manhood; taking a just-a-little-bit-too-young man into a bar for his first pint of beer. But this was not a boy, this child was a little girl. Could he really force himself to play dolls and dress-up?

A smirk crossed his face; at least he could still teach her how to duel. Already he could picture taking his little girl, perhaps four or five years old, into a shop to purchase her first cards. He would show her how to organise a deck; he would teach her how to win.

The baby girl in his arms spluttered a bit and it looked as if she may cry, but a gentle rocking motion seemed to soothe her - it was remarkable how naturally it came to him, he acted without thinking. Studying her features clearly, he noticed how much of both himself and Ryleigh he could see in her tiny face, her little body. Her skin was darker than his but paler than her mother's; a mix of the two of them. She had dark hair, but both her parents did so it was impossible to tell whose hair she would have yet. Her eyes, too, appeared the natural blue that all newborns have - but hers was a paler blue and he just knew that, in time, she would have the same beautiful violet eyes as her mother.

It didn't matter that he wasn't sure how to raise a girl. He loved her already; he didn't want to change anything about her.

_Bring on the dolls and the dresses,_ he thought to himself.

"You're gonna be daddy's little girl" he whispered, lifting his daughter - it didn't sound real yet: his _daughter_, he really had a daughter - to his shoulder so that her warm little head rested in the crook of his neck. "Aren't you?"

"Aren't I what?" came a mumbled groan.

Chazz glanced over at his now-awake girlfriend, still holding the baby securely to his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Sore" Ryleigh grumbled, attempting to push herself up into a sitting position and failing; she decided that she was comfortable enough lying down. "Is she alright?"

"I think so. She's awake."

"Let me see her" Ryleigh smiled, eager to once again hold her baby in her arms. Chazz placed the jacket-wrapped bundle into her arms and she cradled her newborn daughter tenderly. "Hello, little angel."

Chazz sat back and pulled his mobile phone from his pocket; it still had no signal whatsoever. With a sigh, he realised that an idea he had had during the past hour was the best bet he had. Taking his cards out of their holder, he summoned the spirits of the three Ojama brothers and told them their instructions.

Ryleigh barely noticed the trio, and looked up only as they squealed in delight at being giving an important mission as they departed. "Where are they off to, Chazz?"

"I sent them off to find some help. I'm not about to walk off and leave you here, and this hunk of junk's going nowhere" he muttered, gesturing at the broken down car. "The slacker and his girly boyfriend live about thirty miles away from here."

Ryleigh rolled her eyes; so much for Chazz growing up. Still, she didn't really care - no matter how much she loved him, her attention was otherwise occupied. All her focus was on her adorable baby girl. Ryleigh was fascinated by how natural the gentle weight of her daughter felt in her arms; the squirming, slightly damp weight should have felt uncomfortable to hold so close but the baby felt impossibly right when in her arms. Now Ryleigh truly, completely understood the bond that existed between mother and child.

She was still in pain but somehow it no longer mattered; the pain was a dull version of what she had previously felt, anyway. And now she had her daughter in her arms everything made sense - the backaches, the swollen ankles, the heavy baby bump, the kicking in the ribs, the far-too-frequent urination, the agonising labour. With the baby in her arms, she knew that it had been well worth it.

Admiring the baby, Ryleigh said quietly, "we still have to name her."

"Any ideas?"

"Hmm ... some. You?"

Chazz smirked. "Some."

And the two knew that they had found a topic to discuss while they were waiting for news from the Ojama brothers.

* * *

><p>Hazeru - Hope that was okay.<p>

Hera - Please R&R.


End file.
